River City Writer

Until recently, I was looking at purchasing a condo. Unfortunately, due to a number of circumstances, this isn’t a realistic possibility at the moment.

Despite the high cost of rent in the city, it is still more affordable for me to rent than it is to buy, even after my rent increases to $975 come January.

However, I’d rather not pay that high of a rental rate. Admittedly, as I live in a 2-bedroom apartment, that’s actually a fairly decent rate in the current market. It’s a 50% increase over what I currently pay, but it’s not outside the typical market price.

But, I live alone, and I would like to keep it that way if possible.

I tend not to do well with roommates. And, having got used to living alone over the last 7 months or so, I don’t like the idea of coming home to find someone else sitting on the couch.

If I were living with a girlfriend, or one of my brothers, that would be different. But, excepting those 2 situations, I’m not fond on the idea of living with a roommate. Besides, I’ve done it before, and it nearly destroyed the friendship I had with my roommate at the time.

Because of this, I’m looking for a place with cheaper rent. If I could find a 2-bedroom unit for less than what I’ll be paying here, that would be ideal. That’s not likely to happen, though, so I’m looking at 1-bedroom units.

I’ve called a few places so far, and it seems that they’re all in the $800+ range. At that price, it almost seems better just to stay put. Sure, it will cost more than moving to a 1-bedroom unit, but by fewer than $200 in most cases.

This has got me to wondering if there is anywhere in this city that is still affordable for the average single, middle-class person.

For the average working couple, the rent for a 1 or 2-bedroom apartment isn’t unreasonable. It’s not cheap, but with a double income, it’s not too bad. What about single income households, though?

While I can afford to pay $975 a month, it’s a bit of a stretch. I imagine the same is true for a lot of other people, as well.

There is low income housing the in city (though, not nearly enough of it), but I make too much money to qualify for it. I feel like I’m in the weird position of feeling as if I’m living on a low income, ironically due to the fact that I’m not. It’s very strange.

Ideally, I’d like a place that has a balcony. In fact, unless I get really desperate, I won’t even consider a place that doesn’t have a balcony. It must also have a powered parking stall.

It would be nice if I could find a place in a pet-friendly building. I don’t have pets, but I wouldn’t mind getting a cat or similar small animal if I was renting a place that allowed it. That’s not a requirement, though.

If anyone happens to know of a place that might suit my needs, I’d appreciate if you could give me a shout about it. I think I’d prefer to wait until January to start seriously looking, since I’d rather not be moving over the holidays (which, given that it’s already halfway through November, and I am required to give 30 days notice to end my lease, would basically be inevitable if I were to find a place in the near future). But, if the price is right, I’d be willing to move over the holidays.

The real question I want to ask though, isn’t about my situation specifically. It’s a much more general question.

Is there anywhere in Edmonton that still charges a reasonable price for rent?